Nutrition
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Our purpose is to highlight some of the past and potential future uses of microarray in nutrition research, while also commenting on some aspects of the design conduct and analysis of microarray data that will leave to improved data quality. ⋯ Microarrays are a very powerful tool for studying virtually every nutrition-related disease and trait and can provide valuable insights that are not obtainable with other techniques. However, unless nutrition researchers conduct their studies with scientific hard-mindedness, the studies will be of lower power at least if not completely misleading.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Effects of barley intake on glucose tolerance, lipid metabolism, and bowel function in women.
The low consumption of grains that are rich sources of dietary fiber may be associated with the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases. This study was conducted to observe the effects of high barley (high-fiber diet) intake on glucose tolerance, lipid metabolism, and bowel function in healthy women. ⋯ This study demonstrated that barley intake has beneficial effects on lipid metabolism and bowel function and suggests that the intake of a high-fiber food, i.e., barley, should be recommended to prevent chronic diseases.
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I investigated whether metabolism of essential fatty acids and the concentrations of their long-chain metabolites (long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids [LCPUFAs]) are altered in fetal or perinatal growth retardation, maternal hypercholesterolemia, low-grade systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, and atherosclerosis, conditions that predispose to the development of coronary heart disease (CHD). I critically reviewed the literature pertaining to the metabolism of essential fatty acids in CHD and conditions that predispose to it. LCPUFAs enhance endothelial nitric oxide synthesis, suppress the production of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-6, attenuate insulin resistance, and have antiatherosclerotic properties. ⋯ LCPUFAs can prevent various conditions that predispose to the development of CHD. The low incidence of CHD seen in adequately breast-fed infants can be linked to the LCPUFA content of breast milk. Based on this evidence, I suggest that provision of LCPUFAs during critical periods of growth, especially from the second trimester of pregnancy to age 5 y, prevents CHD in adult life.
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Street foods are an important source of nutrients for poor urban residents. This study aimed to identify determinants of the proportion of daily energy provided by non-home-prepared foods. ⋯ In the determinants of non-home-prepared energy consumption, we discerned a pattern from rather basic determinants to determinants of a more complicated nature with increasing socioeconomic level of the groups. Furthermore, a shift from street foods to kiosks as the main source of non-home-prepared foods consumed appeared with increasing socioeconomic levels.
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The purposes of this study were to determine the intake of nutrients related to bone health, including calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), sodium (Na), potassium (K), protein, and vitamin D, in elderly Japanese women and to examine possible intercorrelations between Ca intake and other nutrients. ⋯ The intake of dietary nutrients relevant to bone health in ambulatory Japanese elderly women was examined and documented. The potential confounding effects of these nutrients, especially P, K, and protein, should be taken into account when evaluating the effects of dietary Ca on bone health in observational studies.